When it comes to PC gaming, I’d have to say 2021 was a bust. The main reason I say this is because the price of entry was very high, mainly due to graphic card (GPU) shortages and high scalper prices, and chip shortages that caused lots of prices to skyrocket. So for instance, an entry-level, current-gen GPU like the RTX 3060 Ti that should have cost around $399, ended up being at ranges between $700-1200+. That’s a huge markup, especially for those who were new to PC gaming and just wanted to build their first rig.

That may change in 2022 because both AMD and NVIDIA announced at CES that they’ll be introducing new entry-level GPUs capable of Ray Tracing at under $250. AMD will be releasing the Radeon RX 6500 XT ($199) while NVIDIA will have the RTX 3050 ($249). AMD will be releasing the RX 6500 XT on January 19, 2022 while NVIDIA is set to release the RTX 3050 on January 27, 2022.

Hopefully, these two GPUs will be readily available and won’t succumb to scalping like their more powerful siblings were. There’s no reason why anyone should pay more than MSRP for these when they come out. If all things go right, 2022 could be great for entry-level PC gaming that won’t break the bank.